Shameless

SHAMELESS…. There were plenty of well-financed, far-right groups running health care attack ads last year, none of which were especially concerned with accuracy. But amidst a lot of dishonesty, the ads from the 60 Plus Association stood out in their duplicity.

The shadowy outfit, which bills itself as a right-wing version of the AARP, not only argued that the Democrats’ Affordable Care Act would slash Medicare funding, but also that Dems were effectively being unpatriotic by imposing hardship on the Greatest Generation.

The message wasn’t even close to being true, but the 60 Plus Association’s demagoguery nevertheless helped scare the bejesus out of seniors, even as the Affordable Care Act strengthened Medicare and expanded benefits to the elderly.

Well, that was last year. Now, congressional Republicans are pushing a plan that eliminates Medicare, replacing it with a privatized voucher system, and guts Medicaid, which many seniors in nursing homes rely on. Surely an outfit like the 60 Plus Association, which is so concerned about seniors and health care, will be outraged, right? Wrong.

The conservative retiree group 60 Plus is going up with $800,000 worth of ads in 39 districts, thanking House Republicans for passing a budget that it says saves Medicare.

“The House passed a budget that protects and preserves Medicare for years to come,” says one ad running in Arizona. “And our congressman, Paul Gosar, voted to protect Medicare and keep it secure for future retirees.”

The 60-second radio ads, which will be complemented by phone calls and mail from 60 Plus, represent the latest media offensive this week on the increasingly contentious issue. And it’s clearly a direct response to recent attacks from Democrats on the issue.

So, to review, the right-wing group was outraged when Democrats strengthened Medicare and expanded benefits for seniors, and told the public Dems were trying to hurt seniors. A year later, the House Republicans vote to eviscerate Medicare and Medicaid, and 60 Plus is thanking them for it.

And a whole lot of folks will see and hear the ridiculous message — 60 Plus has a lot of money, though no one knows where it comes from — not knowing that it’s dishonest. Indeed, 60 Plus is cynically counting on seniors being easily misled.